STEPANAKERT. – The spread of hatred towards Armenians from Azerbaijan is systemic, the Artsakh ombudsman Ruben Melikyan said, presenting the special report “Armenophobia in Azerbaijan: Organized hate speech and animosity towards Armenians.”

While preparing the report, information from open sources and media was used, he said expressing concern that users from Armenia have no access to many Azerbaijani resources.

The report carries three main messages. The first is that the Armenian public is not fully informed about the level of hatred towards Armenians in Azerbaijan. The second message is addressed to the international community in order to disseminate the report, primarily in the international human rights environment The third message is addressed to the Armenian and Artsakh public.

“Seeing these facts, we have to realize that this is a potential mistake, and we do not have to act in a similar way. It is unacceptable. We should not be poisoned by hatred,” Melikyan said.

“Azerbaijani state officials at the highest level have frequently been involved in fuelling anti-Armenian xenophobia and hatred, glorifying murderers of Armenians, and contributing to the increase of the divide between the two nations,” the report says.

Angela Elibekova, Yeghishe Kirakosyan, Levon Gevorgyan helped in preparing of the report. The report was prepared with the assistance of the Tufenkian Foundation.